Lifestyle businesses have become a source of inspiration, leading in storytelling, eye-catching product offerings, and worldwide followers. What is the key to their success?
Lifestyle brands are now part of our daily life. We recognize them, value them, discuss their actions and their failures. No brand can escape this relationship with its customers, as every brand has a unique story to tell.
Contemporary branding strategies aim to connect with different audiences through precise communication campaigns, transparent production sources, and building trust by standing up for their values.
Lifestyle brands want to evoke memories and create emotional connections with their target, “they need to have a unique identity, and most importantly lifestyle brands are increasingly becoming one of the key components of consumer’s self-expression” according to author Schmitt in The Consumer Psychology of Brands in Journal of Consumer Psychology.
Brand image is also a relevant factor in lifestyle ventures. It does reflect a specific aesthetic besides any brand associations, loyalty, awareness, or brand equity. Knowing how to build a strong brand personality (link to our article)- which we’ve written about before- enables consumers to correlate their personality with the brand’s personality, as many people need a sense of shared identity.
This correlation is possible due to target demographic characteristics, the personality traits of the customer, and the willingness to express or showcase their image or identity through the brand’s promise and emotional connection.
“Lifestyles are characterized by a unique style of living that is based on a wide range of activities, interests, and opinions” according to marketing author Plummer in The Concept and Application of Lifestyle Segmentation, Journal of Marketing.
“Lifestyle” is related to psychology since it has to do with the daily activities of persons. In a marketing and branding context, “lifestyle” suggests a close relationship between people, behavior, and consumption.
To build a successful lifestyle brand, we must make sure we can meet certain criteria essential to achieving that previously mentioned emotional connection. Lifestyle brand managers are very aware of them, below you can find some of the relevant aspects you must meet to build a lifestyle brand.
1.You Must Have a Strong Conceptual Universe
Lifestyle brands have stories, references, and a solid foundation to explain their inner world. Having a strong conceptual universe will allow your brand to tell its customers where you came from and what you care about it. For example, fashion brand Jacquemus, created by fashion designer Simon Porte Jacquemus, appeals to a younger customer with a carefree attitude and a connection with nature. His brand references the south of France, Marseille and Provence, the countryside, the family, the sea, and innocent memories of love. You will need to create a particular universe for your brand to draw inspiration from it.
2.You Must Build Principles and Stand By Your Values
Branding is all about values and purpose. You need to define what you stand for and make it the core of your value proposition. Principles and conduct norms are essential to connect with customers, as they want to feel proud of the brands they buy beyond consumerism, for this very reason, it is important to be honest when selecting your brand’s values; customers can distinguish deceitful brands at large. Sports brands are the leaders in lifestyle, exercise, competition, and overcoming goals are concepts part of their basic DNA. For example, Nike stands by individuality and fair game.
Other examples outside of the world of sports include,Ikea with its values of good design at affordable prices to boost your creativity, or Parley, which stands for actions to fight climate change and saving the oceans.
3. You Must Create a Sense of a Community
The most important asset for a lifestyle brand is its community. A brand without a loyal customer base cannot make an impact in their lives. To build a store you are offering and the target market. You should be aware of their hobbies, interests and what they can expect from you.
For example, Goop, Gwyneth Paltrow’s former newsletter and now a lifestyle website, offers its readers well-edited information about fashion, wellness, nutrition, and travel in a close and relaxed way. Goop gives its audience topics they want to read, reinforcing their trust and giving them a sense of belonging.
4. You Must Be Physically Present, Digitally Available
Lifestyle brands must be where the action is. Either on the sales floor or the client’s smartphone, brands must be flexible and know how to adapt to the never-ending market changes. A retail location is a great option to build your brand’s essence through displays, windows, and personalized service. This way, your customer can experience the brand.
For example, the Parisian lifestyle brand Sézane pioneered the mix of physical and digital worlds. Its purpose “Je ne sais quoi for all” has become a mantra for offering an exceptional “Rendez-vous” service in all its “Appartements & Conciergeries” and, at the same time, delivering great content and user experience through e-commerce. Lifestyle brands must be digitally active to strengthen their relationship with the consumer.
Successful lifestyle brands, such as Ralph Lauren, The Row, or Anthropologie, are continuously innovating, yet faithful to their core principles. You can get some inspiration from their actions, this way you can develop and create your lifestyle brand, as long as authenticity and originality are present inside your strategy.
Do you want to learn more about this topic? Find more in the Master in Fashion Marketing program.